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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26996989">𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/carissimipaixao/pseuds/carissimipaixao'>carissimipaixao</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Torture, Insecurity, Kidnapping, Reader-Insert, Self-Esteem Issues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:53:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,936</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26996989</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/carissimipaixao/pseuds/carissimipaixao</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started as she walked to her parents’ house, wanting to give them a surprise visit. She had brushed off how the lights on the street were off, because she was already familiar with the whole neighborhood. That was her grave mistake. No matter where she was, the veil of darkness, the deadly silence of the night, it should have been enough for her to think twice, to call another taxi to drop her off right in front of the house. But, no, she wanted to stretch her legs from all those hours of travelling, she wanted to sightsee the place where she had spent most of her life, she wanted to… hell, she did not know anymore. And, did it matter? Did it matter, when she later woke up, feeling her hands and ankles tied to a chair, tape covering her mouth?</p><p> </p><p>━━━━━━<br/>soundtrack<br/>❝all gone (the promise)❞ (the last of us: part ii)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaiba Seto/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>yu-gi-oh! and its characters (c) kazuki takahashi</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When [Name] began dating Seto Kaiba, she knew her world was going to change drastically. He was a man whose corporation practically owned Domino City, a man who was followed everywhere and anywhere by paparazzi, and a man known for his intelligence and good looks. And, what was she? A commoner, one person out of seven billion in the entire planet. Someone who was unimportant, with an average job, average hobbies. Completely and sorely <em>average</em>. But, it did not seem to matter to Seto, because he had seen beyond that. [Name] wondered what he had seen in her exactly, but she truly felt like a star with him, a glorious and gorgeous galaxy.</p><p>It did not take long until she experienced the flash of the cameras, the gossip, the rumors. It was <em>very</em> overwhelming at first. But, Seto was always there, every step of the way. His hand always rested on the low of her back whenever the paparazzi appeared, pushing her along with him and pushing her closer, almost wanting to protect her from the harshness of the lights and the shouts. He always reassured her that the magazines were only trying to get more attention, since his name was widely known. He always told her not to think too much about how she was portrayed or if she was<em> at all</em> by them, because, in the end of the day, only the two of them knew how things really were. Had she not been in love with him, she probably would not have been able to do it.</p><p>Yet, there was an even darker side to it. Not just the fact that hundreds of women chased after Seto, willing to do anything to break their relationship apart or to destroy [Name]’s self-worth and image, but also the dread reality that came with being one of wealthiest and most powerful CEOs in Japan. For instance, it was hardly a lie that Seto could be rather <em>unpleasant</em> with people, especially those he considered to be unworthy of his time. If he thought his employees were incompetent or harmful to the image of Kaiba Corporation (or himself), he would quickly fire them. There was nothing that could possibly make him hold his brutal honesty back, even though it was too harsh at times. And, because of that, he would often invoke a feeling of anger and hatred within the hearts of many competitors or even his own patrons and employees. It was something [Name] frowned upon and something she had brought to his attention, and he was unbothered by it. He <em>knew</em> most of them would not even dare to speak up against him. He was very sure of himself, after all. However, she had a feeling that sooner or later, it would come back to bite him <em>hard</em>. Except━</p><p>━never had she ever dreamt of the first time where they would turn to <em>her</em>.</p><p>It all started as she walked to her parents’ house, wanting to give them a surprise visit. She had brushed off how the lights on the street were off, because she was already familiar with the whole neighborhood. That was her grave mistake. No matter where she was, the veil of darkness, the deadly silence of the night, it should have been enough for her to think twice, to call another taxi to drop her off right in front of the house. But, <em>no</em>, she wanted to stretch her legs from all those hours of travelling, she wanted to sightsee the place where she had spent most of her life, she wanted to… hell, she did not know anymore. And, did it matter? Did it matter, when she later woke up, feeling her hands and ankles tied to a chair, tape covering her mouth?</p><p>Everything had turned into a blur as soon as she had fallen into the hands of an unknown group. [Name] was only certain of one thing—they had chosen her as the perfect bait to get to Seto. It was clear the moment she heard one of them on the phone, claiming to hold all the cards as he laughed at whatever threat Seto had growled through the phone.</p><p><em>‘A child,’ </em>was what they had called him. <em>‘He acts like a god, but he's as worthless as they come. Pathetic, and a weakling.’</em></p><p>They were demanding millions for her safe passage back to Domino, and they had given him a week to decide whether or not he was ready to deliver the money, in exchange for her life. They were sadistic, and they made sure he <em>heard</em> the muffled screams in the background of the call. Each hour that passed, it meant she would suffer miserably for his lateness. A part of her was starting to grow anxious. Was he going to give up on her? Where was he? Whenever Mokuba was kidnapped, had he not been there, as fast as he could? She held back a bitter laugh and a painful sob; it made sense. After all, she was not his little brother. She was someone who could be easily replaced. She was <em>average</em>, insignificant. The young woman was weak, she did not know how to properly defend herself and she did not even know where she was. They had been purposely letting her remain on the edge of dehydration and malnutrition. They had weapons and she feared the possibility of Seto believing she was alive until the exchange, until he were to discover her lifeless body. She did not want to <em>die</em>. And, lastly, for all she knew, she could be in the middle of nowhere, where nobody could find them.</p><p>Then, what? What was she meant to do? It was difficult, but she tried to hold onto hope. What good did it do to let despair take over? Perhaps, he was thinking of the best approach. He was calculating and thoughtful, and he never made irrational choices. He was just as honest as he was vengeful. Seto wanted to track them down and make them pay for what they did.<em> Right?</em></p><p>By some sort of miracle, a higher force heard her pleads and an opportunity to escape was presented to her. She still had no idea about her location or about her kidnappers, but she did not want to wait any longer. It had been four—or was it five—days of captivity and she was not going to waste another second in that place. It had been a miserable time, of starvation, harassment and pain. <em>I’m going home, one way or another</em>, she told herself. Seto’s name rang through her mind as she drove the car she had <em>borrowed</em> from her captors, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the house━no, Hell itself. [Name]’s chest rose and dropped with heavy and quick breaths, as the adrenaline ran through her veins. Everything was pitch black, and she could only see the road ahead of her. Suddenly, through the thickness of the fog, flickers of light could be seen in the distance. A shaky gasp came through her lips, before it developed into laughter. She had finally escaped. She was <em>free</em>. The laughter soon turned into uncontrollable sobs as she wiped the tears away.</p><p>Having spared a glance at the red light on the dashboard, warning her of the fact that the car was running out of gas, she stepped harder on the accelerator. She would not be able to reach Domino, but if she could get her hands on a━<em>there!</em> As she drove down the street, [Name] spotted a  telephone booth on the deserted sidewalk. She parked the car clumsily by the sidewalk and turned the engine off. Her hand reached for the door handle, but she froze, as she stared at it. So pale, trembling from the cold and as the adrenaline wore off. [Name] clenched her fist for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then, she opened the door, hissing and shivering from the cold breeze and the raindrops that fell upon her exposed skin. </p><p>The woman ran for the booth, slamming the car door shut. She grabbed a coin she had inside her pocket and quickly dialed the number. <em>Please</em>, she closed her eyes, <em>answer.</em> She put the phone against her ear. She knew it was far too late into the night and he never went to bed at a reasonable hour, but━</p><p>There was a click.</p><p>‘Who’s this?’ His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. [Name] gasped, letting out the breath she had been holding in anticipation. She felt her eyes begin to well up in tears once again, and she put her free arm around herself, embracing her for comfort and warmth. <em>He’s here</em>, the woman bit her lower lip, trying to keep herself from crying. The silence grew and she should speak up, unless she wanted him to hang up the phone on her. He growled in annoyance, but [Name] interrupted him before he could speak.</p><p>‘Seto,’ she called. Her body shook. <em>He’s here, just as he promised. One call away.</em> He had sworn to be there, by her side, whenever she saw fit, ever since the threats had started to become too much for her to handle━by herself, at least. <em>“We’re in this together”. That’s what you told me</em>.</p><p>‘[Name],’ the young woman’s name came out as a breathless whisper, his voice laced in disbelief and shock. It was enough for the first tears to fall. She trembled as she wiped the tears away, though it was futile as they kept running down her face. She felt like a child, and her mind began to recall the many moments those men laughed at her pain, claiming she was nothing but a worthless toy.</p><p>
  <em>‘I wonder what that rich brat saw in you,’ he snickered before kicking her side for one last time.</em>
</p><p>It hurt to think of those voices, those <em>filthy</em> hands. Yet, they came flooding back, and her head was overwhelmed with both relief and boiling hatred. It was as if, no matter how much Seto’s voice eased half of her worries and wrapped a sense of warmth around her, the claws of the unfortunate events that had taken place would never leave, crawling and scratching. <em>They will never leave</em>, it echoed in her mind. The scars they left behind would always stay there ━ forevermore.</p><p>‘Where are you? Tell me where you are.’ She glanced around, not recognizing the sights. She shook her head in defeat, and Seto pressed, ‘Where are you, [Name]?’</p><p>She could imagine, from what she was hearing in the background of the call, that the man was getting ready to pick her up, wherever she was. He had not given up on her, contrary to her dark thoughts. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t know.’</p><p>‘I want this call traced <em>immediately</em>,’ Seto snapped to, what she guessed to be, an employee. She heard quick footsteps in the background. ‘I’m going to get you,’ he promised her. ‘Stay where you are.’</p><p>There was movement and [Name] felt the fears crawling against her skin, as if they were sharp claws, digging <em>deep</em>. ‘No!’ She shouted. Seto did not respond, and the silence was so deafening that she almost thought he had hung up. ‘Please,’ she whimpered, closing her eyes. ‘Don’t leave me alone, Seto.’ He remained quiet, but she could hear the slamming of a door and the subtle humming of an engine. After a sigh, the young man’s words were uttered firmly, yet softly.</p><p>‘I’m right here,’ he said. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’</p>
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